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ANECDOTES of the REIGNING SULTAN, and of the RULING CABINET at the OTTOMAN COURT.

From CONSTANTINOPLE ANCIENT and MODERN, &c. by JAMES DALLAWAY, M. B. F. S. A. late Chaplain and Physician to the Bri.ifh Embafly to the Porte.]

“A

FEW anecdotes of the fultan and the prefent ruling cabinet, which I offer as genuine, may not be unacceptable, as various causes seem at this juncture to confpire, by which the Ottoman court may take a more active par on the great political theatre of Europe. Sultan Selim III. is the eldeft male defcendant of the house of Of man, who in 1299 established the fifth dynasty of the kalifes. At the death of his father Muftafa III. in 1775, he was fourteen years old. According to the known precedent amongst the Turks, Abdul-hamid, his uncle, fucceeded to the throne; for they difdain to be governed either by a woman or a boy.

and fultan Mahmood, the fons of Abdul-hamid and the only remaining heirs of the empire, are both minors. They experience a generous return for their father's kindnefs, and are treated with fuitable respect. Fach has his feparate fuite of apartments, and fixty attendants, amongst whom are thirty elderly female flaves, with an annual revenue of 5000 fterling. The good mufulman, who laments the poffibie extinction of the imperial family, is comforted by the aftrologers, who have publicly declared, that after he has attained to forty years, fultan Selim will be blessed with a numerous progeny.

"His countenance is handsome "At his acceffion Abdul-hamid and impreffive, and his figure good; had reached the age of forty-nine, he is affable, and poffeffes much and during the fi:teen years' reign fpeculative genius, is not ill inof his brother Muftafa had endured formed of the characters and fepa a ftate imprisonment which the rate interests of his contemporary jealous policy of the feraglio had princes, and has every inclination Jong ordained. As a folace of his to reconcile his fubjects to the confinement, he cultivated literature fuperior expediency of European and the arts of peace. His difpofi- maxims, both in politics and war. tion, nild and beneficent, induced But it is dubious if he be capable him to forego the ancient prejudice, of that energetic activity, and that and to fuperintend the education of perfonal exertion, which are requir fultan Selim, giving him every lied in an abfolute prince to re-moberal indulgence. Sultan Muftafa del a people whofe opinions are not

to

to be changed but by an univerfal revolution.

"Peter the Great and Charles XII. in their plans of regenerating, or conquering the Ruffians, did not depend folely upon the agency of minifters for fuccefs.

"The curiofity of Selim refpect. ing the other nations of Europe originated in frequent converfations with Rachib Effendi, the prefent historiographer-royal, who was for fome time envoy at Vienna, after the last war. Thofe who have gained his confidence fince the commencement of his reign, have confulted that inclination, and improved every opportunity of extend ing his intelligence on thofe fub jects. I have heard it afferted that the young men in the feraglio are now inftructed in the French language by his command; and his partiality to French wine is no fecret amongst the well informed.

"The first efforts towards improvement have been applied to the army and marine. Forts have been erected on the Bofphorus, regiments have been trained to European difcipline, chiefly by French officers, and the fleet will become in a certain degree formidable.

"When he has leifure to render his vaft territory, at leaft in the vicinity of his capital, more refemblant of civilized nations, he will probably establish a poft, which may facilitate communication be tween diftant provinces. During the laft war many places of importance were taken, or evacuated, weeks before the miniftry were in poffeffion of the fact.

"The only imperial works now feen in his dominions are mofques, aqueducts, and fountains; he may hereafter turn his attention to great roads, now barely paffable, which would be as ufeful monuments of his fame.

"Mehmet Melèk Pafha, the late. vifier, refigned in 1794. He was a favourite, in his youth, of Mustafa III. who gave him his fifter in marriage, and the appellation of Melek, or the Angel, on account of his fingular beauty; for the Turks ufually take their furname from fome perfonal excellence or peculiarity. After having enjoyed fome of the most lucrative governments in the empire he returned to Conftantinople, and was called to the vifirate, at the advanced age of ninety years, in 1789. He has retired to his palace on the Afiatic fide of the Bofphorus, and, as an extraordinary fact in natural history, has had a son born to him, whofe legitimacy cannot be invali dated.

"The prefent fyftem of government aims at the fuppreffiou of the former foie authority of the vifier, and has reduced him to a mere member of the cabinet council. As the fultan takes a more active share than his predeceffor in public af fairs, and liftens to more advisers, it feems to draw to an end. The vifier now in office is likewise a harmless old man, fo that they may probably foon fit fate-fta'tues only.'

"The ruling perfons of the prefent day, are, 1. Yusuf Agha, kiayah, or high-fteward to the fultan's mother, who retains a very decided influence with him. Yu-.. suf's private life has been marked by uncommon circumftances. He is a native of Candia, and was originally a writer to a fhip, from which employment he paffed into the fervice of Abdullah Pafha, beglerbey of Anatolia, refiding at Kutayah.. During ten years he fo ingratiated himself with the pafha, that he determined to fecure to him his great wealth in his life-time. Accordingly he gave him entire poffeffion, ordering him to fly to the Porte,

and

and to urge the heaviest complaints against him for his injuftice and illtreatment. Meanwhile the pafha died. The capidji bafhi was difpatched by the fultan to feize the treafure, but found nothing; and Yusuf, from the predicament in which he ftood, was the last perfon to be fufpected. With this wealth he lived in fplendour at Constantinople, and frequented the audiences of the vifier. He was foon appointed taraphana eminy, or matter of the mint, from which he was advanced to his prefent poft.

66 2. Ratib Effendi has twice held the important office of reis effendi, or fecretary of state. He rofe from a public elerk, paffing through all the preliminary gradations with diftinguifhed ability. He is beyond comparison the beft in formed, and moft capable minister in the cabinet.

"Tchiusèh, kiayah, or deputy to the vifier, is at the head of the finance, and planned the new taxes.

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"The prefent capudàn pafha, or high admiral, called Kuchuk Huffein, from his diminutive ftature, was a Georgian flave, and the companion of the fultan in his childhood. From the feraglio he emerged to take the command of the navy, it may be prefumed with out much previous acquaintance with maritime affairs. But his administration has been very beneficial; for he has raifed the marine from the miferable ftate it was left in at the conclusion of the Ruffian war, to refpectability. The new The new fhips are built under the inspection of European furveyors, and French nautical terms have been adopted. At the beginning of the prefent century, the Turkish fleet confifted of 32 flips of the line, 34 galleys, and fome brigantines; they can now fend to fea 14 first rates, 6 frigates, and go floops of war.

"Every fpring he leaves Conftantinople with a few ships, to vifit the Archipelago, to receive the capitation tax from the different islands, and to free the feas from pirates, and the Maltese cruisers. The time of his coming is generally known, fo that the service is little more than a matter of form. His reception by the fultan, both at his departure and return, is a brilliant fpectacle. He is married to the only daughter of Abdul-hamid, and is honoured with the private friendship of his fovereign.

"Every scheme for defending the coafts of the Black fea by forts and batteries, and for military regulations, is fubmitted to Cheliby Effendi, who furveys their execution, if approved. He was mafter of the mathematical school founded in 1773 by Ghazi Hassàn pasha, a very celebrated character in the last reign.

"This extraordinary perfon was likewife a Georgian flave, and afterward a Barbary corfair. Having been taken prifouer by the Spauiards, he paffed fix years of flavery at Madrid, from whence he was fent to Naples, where he was exchanged, and returned to Conftantinople. His reputation for perfonal courage procured him the command of a galley, and afterward o a frigate. At the unfortunate battle of Chefhmè he had a fhip of the line under Jaffer, capudàn pafha, who upon his difgrace died of chagrin, and was succeeded by Haffan.

"He was extremely whimfical, and kept a lion's whelp always on his fofa, which he had trained up to follow him, but which, having killed one of the domeftics, was afterwards chained. He became vifier, and died at the age of more than feventy, in the camp againft the Ruffians, rot without fufpicion of

poifon.

prifon. So fingular was his bravery, and fo frequent his fucceffes, that he affumed the name of Ghazi, the victorious. Abdul-hamid was fear ful, and confidered the fafety of the empire endangered by his abfence from Conftantinople.

"Of his prevailing influence the following relation is a proof, and gives traits of fecret machinations practifed in the feraglio.

"One of his flaves, named Yusuf, had fo recommended himfelf by fuperior talents, that he gave him liberty, and promotion to the moft confiderable offices. At the time Yusuf returned from his government of Morea, to take upon him the office of vifier, Mayro yeni, a Greek of a noble family, was the dragoman, or interpreter, to his patron Haffan. Petraki, another Greek, was mafter of the mint, and imperial banker, and had amaffed feven millions of piaftres.

"This man being ambitious of becoming prince of Wallachia, he three times procured the appointment of Mavro-yeni to that high ftation, who had the intereft of Haffan, and the vifier to be fuperfeded. But they, impatient of the difappointment, reprefented to Abdul-hamid, that the people demanded the life of Petraki in atonement of his peculation, who timidly confented to his execution, and he was inftantly imprisoned. On the very day of the high ceremony of Mavro-yeni's inveftiture, he was led to the gate of the fera glio to kiss his ftirrup, and fue for pardon. At that inftant the executioner ftruck off his head, and Mavro-yeni had the fatisfaction of feeing his rival dead at his feet.

Another Hafsan pasha who hated him, becoming vifier, ordered him to be beheaded upon the charge of betraying Giurgevow, the first Turkish fortrefs upon the Danube, to the Germans. He died a mu fulman. Abdul-hamid, when informed of the laft-mentioned circumftances, was fo far convinced of his innocence, that in a few months the vindictive visier shared the fame fate.

"The officers of the feraglio are very numerous. The kiflar-agha, or chief of the black eunuchs, hav ing the arrangement of the female department, is most familiar with the fultan, and is a powerful friend, or enemy, to the minifters of state.

"Between the officers of the feraglio and thofe who compose the divan, there fubfifts a perpetual rivalry; and if the emperor be either very active or indolent in public bufinefs, there is ample cause for their jealoufy. Thofe with whom he is conftantly converfant, and before whom he relaxes into colloquial freedom, muft neceffarily obtain fecret influence enough to bias him in matters of importance, if he wishes others than his oftenfible counsellors, or is determined by first representations without further deliberation.

"The minifters are admitted to an audience with the fultan with the profoundeft ceremony. Even in the prefence of the mild Abdulhamid the bold Haffan was overpowered with awe, and the lion feemed to be transformed into a lamb. One of the prefent miniftry, a man of great vivacity, is faid to compofe his fpirits with a pill of opium before he approaches the throne."

1797.

E

MANNERS

MANNERS OF NATIONS.

PARTICULARS relative to the RELIGION, ECONOMY, CLASSES, TRI BUNALS, CUSTOMS, ARTS, LITERATURE, and SCIENCE of the CHINESE.

[Extracted from SirGEORGE STAUNTON's authentic ACCOUNT of anEM. BASSY from theKING OF GREAT BRITAIN to the EMPEROR OF CHINA.]

OF thofe circular and lofty edifices, by Europeans termed pagodas, there are feveral kinds, and dedicated to feveral ufes in China; but none to religious worship. The temples which are confecrated to fuch a purpofe differ little in height from common dwelling houfes, as in the inftance of the Embailador's momentary refidence near Tong-choo-foo.. The prefence of foreigners there did not prevent the ufual affluence of devotees. The Chinese interpreter of the Embaffy, who was a moft zealous Chriftian of the Roman Catholic perfuafion, and himself a priest of that communion, faw with regret, the English curiously examining the images or attending to the ceremonies of the religion of Fo, left they should perceive the refemblance between its exterior forms and thofe of his own church. Suchrefemblance had been, indeed, already thought fo ftriking, that fome of the miffionaries conjectured that the Chinese had formerly received a glimpfe of Chriftianity from the Neftorians, by the way of Tartary: others, that Saint Thomas the Apostle had been amongst them; but the miffionary Prémare

could account for it no otherwife

than by fuppofing it to have been a trick of the Devil to mortify the Jefuits. One of them observes, that the likeness is fo ftrong between the apparent worship of many of the priests of Fo, and that which is exhibited in churches of the Roman faith, that a Chinese conveyed into one of the latter, might imagine the votaries he faw were then adoring the deities of his own country. On the altar of a Chinese temple, behind a screen, is frequently a representation which might anfwer for that of the Virgin Mary, in the perfon of Shinmoo, or the facred mother, fitting in an alcove with a child in her arms, and rays proceeding from a circle, which are called a glory, round her head, with tapers burning conftantly before her. The long coarse gowns of the Ho-fhaungs, or priests of Fo, bound with cords round the waift, would almoft equally fuit the friars of the order of St. Francis. The former live, like the latter, in a ftate of celibacy, refide in monafteries together, and impofe, occa fionally, upon themselves voluntary penance, and rigorous abftinence."

"The

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